This invention is a solution to a safety problem (which is the subject of OSHA regulations) in the commercial construction industry. It is a system which covers and protects a hole which has been drilled in a concrete floor in a commercial building. The system protects the hole and keeps things from falling through the hole between the time that the hole is drilled and the hole is filled with pipes, wiring, and sealant.
In commercial construction, it is normal practice for special tradesman to bore numerous holes through concrete floors in the various stories of the building. The purpose of the holes is to allow passage of pipes and wiring through the holes. Normally, the hole drillers go through and drill their holes and then it may be some time before the appropriate tradesman comes by to use the holes to pass pipes and wires through the floors. In the meantime, unless the area is cordoned off, people walking around can stumble or fall as a result of the presence of the holes or can drop things through the holes which could injure people below. As a result, the existence of the these holes poses a serious safety hazard. As a result, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has issued regulations that require that these interim holes be covered in a fairly specific way.
The conventional way of satisfying this regulation is to cut up a series of rectangular pieces of plywood, attach a rectangular piece of plywood on the underside, and then place the resulting structure in the hole and use a concrete nail through the top to fasten the resulting plywood structure in the hole. This standard practice has a number of drawbacks. First of all, it is expensive and complicated to produce these products at the work site especially under union work rules. In order to make the plywood strong enough, it has to relatively thick and it is very common for people walking around the work site to trip over the devices or pop them out of the holes. Although the concrete nails are intended to keep the devices in the holes, the nails often are not driven down and cause people to trip over them or are caught by hoses that are being pulled across the site. Furthermore, the use of concrete nails often chips off chunks of the concrete around the holes and interferes with proper sealing of the holes when they are to be actually used. Furthermore, pieces of concrete fall through the holes and create additional hazard.
These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices and processes have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the present invention to provide a system which covers and protects a hole which has been drilled in a concrete floor in a commercial building.
Another object of this invention is to provide a system that protects the hole and keeps things from falling through the hole between the time that the hole is drilled and the hole is filled with pipes, wiring, and sealant.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a plug which is simple to install.
It is another object of the invention is to provide a plug that is simple and easy to extract.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a plug that can be reused.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a plug that will not accidently extract under reasonable conditions.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a plug that presents a very low obstacle profile and geometry.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a plug which is capable of being manufactured of high quality and at a low cost, and which is capable of providing a long and useful life with a minimum of maintenance.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.